And the Bird Sings of Eternity
by Dolphin River
Summary: AU, HPBleach Born a Child of Fate but now working as a shinigami, Amaya discovers that not even in death can one escape Destiny. female!Harry, Pairings undecided.
1. Prologue

_A/N:_ _Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Here's the prologue of the HPxBleach crossover that everyone voted on! It's a little on the short side, but chapters will be much longer. Hope you guys like it, since I've been plotting the storyline for over a month._

_I would like to thank everyone who voted! Also, many thanks to the lovely _Lady Salazar,_ who let me bounce ideas off of her this past month, and my wonderful beta Arashinobara Jikkankakyoku!_

_**Warning**_This has female!Harry, so if you don't like that, then you know what the back button is for.

Disclaimer: I own neither Bleach, which is © Kubo Tite, nor Harry Potter, © JK Rowling.

**Prologue**

Captain of the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu, swept demurely down the hall of her branch compound. Walking a few paces behind her were division members Vice Captain Kotetsu Isane and fourth seat Yamada Hanatarou; the latter was currently rattling off health stats of the patient they were going to see.

Stopping in front of an unmarked door, she gently slid the screen open to look upon the figure that lay in the bed. It was a young woman with fair skin and long dark hair, who looked to be in her late teens. If one were to look upon her presently, they would think her asleep- at least had it not been for the unhealthy pallor of her skin and the worn look of her face.

During the seven short years which she had lived, the young woman had been called Iris Lily Potter, but she died from falling out of a tree trying to escape from her older cousin Dudley. Upon arrival at Soul Society, she was taken in by an elderly woman in the thirty-third district of the Rukongai and given the name Inazuma Amaya. Life, or rather death, for the two of them had been rather difficult, especially trying to find food for the young Amaya; even from the beginning she had had reiatsu, which meant a constant need for sustenance. A handful of years later, though, it began to get even more difficult to find enough to feed her on the meager food they could find in the Rukongai. With the blessing of her surrogate grandmother, Amaya conceded to her aching belly and enrolled into the Shinigami Academy.

She ghosted her way through the Academy, never truly excelling in any of the specialized areas except for kidou, though her healing ability proved to be greater. And so it came to be that upon her graduation , she became a rookie member of the Gotei 13 in the 4th division, the Healers. Amongst the other shinigami, she had never tried to put herself forward though she was a talented healer, and the Captain of the 4th division felt that this was an attitude left over from when she was alive.

Sighing, Unohana looked down upon the unconscious girl and couldn't help but feel puzzled by her current condition. For all intents and purposes the girl _was_ sleeping, but it was the obvious strain that her body and mind were undergoing that confounded the master healer. She frowned, looking at the zanpakutou that laid next to Amaya. Ever since the incident a few days ago, that had led the young shinigami to be in this predicament, the sword had been giving off a strange energy. Normally, a zanpakutou gave off the same energy signal as the wielder, due to the fact that the zanpakutou was an extension of a person's soul. This zanpakutou, however, did not, and that only added to the conundrum.

Deciding that there was nothing she could currently do with no obvious change in the patient, Unohana turned and signaled to the other two that it was time to leave. Turning back to the bed, Hanatarou gave the figure lying there a sad, hopeful half-smile and whispered, "Get better soon, Amaya-chan."

The door slid shut quietly behind them.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N:__ The chapter's a bit short compared to normal; only about half of what I usually write per chapter, but I figured that the end was as good as any. Took me long enough, didn't it? Also, __everything__ in this story has meaning, and things are rarely what they seem. A lot of the imagery and nomenclature is based off of Greek and Mayan mythology. Unbetaed._

Disclaimer: I own neither Bleach nor Harry Potter. Bleach ©Kubo Tite and HP ©JK Rowling.

"Normal speech."

'_Thoughts.'_

"_Parseltongue."_

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

_Iris ran through the park, not daring to glance behind her in case she tripped and her pursuers caught up to her. Numerous scrapes and bruises were scattered across the bare skin of her arms and legs, caused by the group of playground bullies who were led by none other than her older cousin, Dudley. Now, they were playing their favorite game. Biting her lip, Iris fought the urge to cry, tears welling up in her eyes. _It just wasn't fair!

_She made it to a small copse of trees at one end of the park, and darted in, quickly making her way to a tree she knew how to climb easily, having used it before in similar circumstances. Not even slowing down, she took a running leap at the lowest branch of the tree, the bark scraping the skin of her palms as her hands took a strong grip on it. Then, using the rest of her momentum, she brought her legs up, hooking her knees onto the branch and hoisting herself the rest of the way up. Once there, she began to climb further into the foliage, where she could hide until they gave up._

_They came into view below her, prowling about like pseudo-predators on the hunt. She watched them mill about for a handful of minutes, before their short attention spans gave out and they began to leave. Iris stood up on the branch she had been sitting on, preparing to climb down as soon as they were out of sight, but a slight noise from behind her caught her attention. She turned to see what was the noise was, but when she looked, her eyes went wide and her foot slipped on the branch._

_She fell with a soul rending scream._

Amaya's eyes snapped open, staring up at the dark sky uncomprehendingly. '_What was that? My death?'_ she thought groggily. She could hardly remember now, as her life began to blur and fade away after having been dead for twenty years- nearly three times as long as she had lived. However, she was not sad to see the memories go; her life had been barren and loveless while she was in the care of her relatives.

Frowning, she looked up at the sky once more, the black void starless and empty except for a large, deep blue crescent moon that hung mysteriously in the sky. She stared at it curiously, feeling comforted. Amaya tried to sit up, a surging ache in her body making itself known at the action. With a groan, she managed to climb unsteadily to her feet, and she took a moment to take in her surroundings.

She stood on a white stone road, heading on a straight path in either direction. It was bordered on both sides by dense jungle, though she did not hear any noises coming from within their dark depths. Turning around to see where the road led to behind her, she found in the distance a large, ancient, abandoned city; white spires of temples rose high into the air, majestic and eerie under the light of the blue moon. The sight was beautiful, but she did not have the urge to go there just yet.

Instead, Amaya felt a pull toward the direction in which she had been facing. In that direction, the white road wandered a long distance and she could not see where it ended. Following the pull, she forced her aching muscles to move one step at a time. Everything was eerily silent. As time passed, she noticed that the pain began to recede the further she traveled and soon, she was able to break into a light jog. Had the road not been such a striking color, she might have missed where it ended, but she slowed as she came to the precipice where the road led.(1)

Opening up in the ground was a large, limestone well, water tranquil in the bottom of the natural reservoir. Built off to one side was another, smaller temple; condition pristine despite the empty quality of its aura. Taking a few steps closer to the edge, she peered into the water, seeing it reflect a brilliantly starry sky and a full, luminescent white moon. Amaya frowned slightly at the sight, confused.

_"The road to greater power requires great sacrifice."_

Amaya spun around quickly at the sibilant voice behind her, to suddenly come face to face with a tall man. He looked young but he had long white hair, tied back at the nape of his neck, with dark skin. His features were unusual, in that his eyes were a shining silver with reptilian slits for pupils, and tiny, glittering scales ran down his skin, along the edge of his hairline. His clothes were nondescript and just as white as his hair, the only color on him, besides his dark skin, being the long, fiercely blue-green feathers(2) that were woven into his hair.

_"Who are you? Where am I?"_ She asked before her hands flew up to her mouth, shocked to find herself speaking the same soft language.

_"This place is your inner self,"_ he replied, bringing one hand up to wave toward their surroundings. _"As for who I am… It is not yet time for you to know that."_ He finished, with a gentle smile. _"In fact, it is time for you to wake up."_

And she did.

* * *

Amaya squinted, the warm red-orange light of the setting sun coming in through the window blinding her temporarily. A soft exclamation at her side caught her attention, and she turned her head slightly to look, squinting a what appeared to be the fuzzy form of Hanatarou sitting by the side of her bed.

"Oh, Amaya-chan, you're awake!" he exclaimed, a relieved and happy smile on his face. "You've been out for a few days, Taichou was so worried. How are you feeling?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but found her throat to be dry and so was unable to respond. Clearing her throat gently, she replied in a raspy voice, "Thirsty."

"Well, give me a moment and I'll get you some water, then I need to go and inform Unohana-taichou that you've awoken." He began to fuss around her, helping her to sit up, propping a few pillows behind her back, and to put on her glasses. Amaya smiled softly at the actions of one of her few close friends.

When he finished, Hanatarou handed her a glass of water and then left to find their Captain.

Sipping gingerly at the glass, Amaya looked out the window. She felt… strange. Different. Like someone had gone and rearranged all of her bones and organs, though the changes couldn't be seen on the outside. But, before she could really determine what was different, the sound of the screen caught her attention.

"Good Evening," Unohana greeted warmly as she entered the room, her typical maternal smile on her lips.

"Taichou," Amaya replied, bowing her head toward her superior.

"How are you feeling?" the matron asked as she sat next to the bed, taking the young woman's vitals. "Are you in any pain or discomfort?"

"No, no pain at all. But…" she trailed off, trying to articulate her thoughts in a way that the older woman would understand. Unohana just watched her patiently, her soft expression helping to encourage the other to speak. "I feel…" Amaya finally began again, "I feel as though I'm not myself… or, at least, not entirely myself."

"Well, that seems strange, because you are also giving off unusual energy readings." The Fourth Division Captain seemed puzzled. "A Second Division member found you a few days ago, unconscious near the Third Division compound. Do you remember what happened? That might help us find out what is wrong."

Casting her mind back, Amaya tried to figure out what the last thing she remembered was, but try as she might, her most recent memories were nothing but blurs. Her clearest memory was from weeks ago. Feeling a little disoriented and frightened, she shakily replied, "No, I don't- I can't really remember anything after a few weeks back."

Unohana clasped the young woman's hand, rubbing soothing circles onto the back with her thumb. "Don't worry, Amaya. The memories will likely return in a few days." Gently setting the hand down on the covers, she stood to leave. "In the mean time, I want to keep you here for a few days for observations. We want to make sure that whatever has happened is not detrimental to your health."

"Of course, taichou." Amaya replied with a weak smile, and with that, the older woman left.

* * *

(1) Based off of the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, and the Great Cenoté (i.e. the natural limestone well).

(2) Quetzal feathers.

For those wondering; Amaya means 'night's rain' (her black hair), Inazuma means 'lightning' (after her scar). I just figured, since Bleach characters are occasionally named after physical characteristics. Her English name is Iris, after the Greek goddess.


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N:__ So, here's chapter two and the plot is starting to roll in this chapter. Also, this story will __NOT__ follow Deathly Hallows; I just don't really see the point._

_Speaking of plot, **if you have a pairing preference, please let me know!** I need to decide soon if I'm going to be able to work it into the story. Possible choices are: Hitsugaya, Byakuya, and Urahara, since they were the most popular. Any of the Karakura or HP males are off limits._

_**Warnings:**_ None, except for the typical female!Harry warning.

Disclaimer: I do not own either Bleach nor Harry Potter. Each are the property of their creators Kubo Tite and JK Rowling and their affiliates.

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

_He rolled the golden thread in his fingers, staring down at the one ragged spot on the otherwise smooth string; even as he watched, two smaller frayed ends of the previously split thread reconnected, twining together and becoming intact once more. It was only a matter of time before the thread would be whole…_

"And then the Games will begin again…" _he whispered aloud to the seemingly empty air, letting the thread drop and dissipate._

Amaya jumped in surprise, banging her head on the underside of the shelf she was currently crawling through in search of some cleaning supplies. '_Ow_,' she thought with a hiss, cupping a hand to her now aching head, and heard a chuckle in response. Climbing out of the hole she'd made between the rags and the bottles of bleach, she looked around, trying to find the speaker she'd just heard.

She blinked in confusion when she spotted no one.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Amaya called out, peeking around the corner of the shelves in the storeroom- still, there was not a soul. "Maybe I was more shaken up by whatever happened than I thought…" she murmured to herself, feeling slightly unsettled.

They hadn't determined anything was wrong during her stay in the hospital, a majority of her memories even returning- though, whatever had caused her blackout hadn't come back, and she still worried over it.

Biting her lip, she resolved to go speak with her Captain after her shift was over.

* * *

Sitting on the front porch of the house he lived in, Kuroitazura Meiyo whistled to himself as he whittled a small wooden dog. The sun was out and bright light washed down on him, turning his already sun-dark skin darker. Hearing a familiar tread of feet, he looked up from his current project to see an old woman making her way towards him. 

"Ohayo, Aoiwashi-san!" he greeted.

"Meiyo-kun," the woman replied, her voice containing the rough scratchiness of a long-time smoker, and she sat down next to him on the edge of the porch.

They sat in silence for a while, watching as people walked by; after knowing each other for over ten years, usually no words were needed between them. The old woman pulled out her tobacco pipe, tamping a few leaves into the bowl before lighting it up. The rich smell of smoke filled the air, and it was only then that Aoiwashi turned to the man beside her.

"Are you going to tell her?" she asked, knowing it was a futile question when Meiyo sighed.

"And what am I to say, Chishiki-baasan?"

Aoiwashi Chishiki eyed the man beside her, her shrewd manner intimidating for any who didn't know her well. She was an old soul, having lived in Soul Society for nearly a thousand years, and she knew what to look for in people- which was why, nearly twenty years ago, she'd taken in a little girl until the child had left to become a shinigami. A few years after her adopted granddaughter had left, this young man had come stumbling out of the lower sectors of the Rukongai, and after they had gotten to know one another, she'd taken it upon herself to watch over another unfortunate soul.

"You should tell her _something_ before you forget." This was a prudent reminder, as everyone forgets their life after a time. She, herself, remembers nothing anymore.

"What if there are some things I don't want to remember?"

"You owe them to her, Meiyo-kun. She was such a fragile child when I found her, and she deserves to know why that was."

Meiyo sighed, watching as a fight broke out in the street over a bushel of fruit.

* * *

"Thank you for being here today," the old man at the front of the room stated, a wan smile on his wrinkled face. "I know we have been unable to meet for quite some time, but it was of quite some importance that we did. I have managed to gain some news of Tom's plans." 

Noise broke out from the assembled party, and Albus Dumbledore raised a hand for quiet.

"Our spies have informed me that Tom is planning to attack a major city in Scotland. We _must not_ let the attack be carried out; the loss of lives would be devastating."

Nods slowly spread around the table, and Albus could only hope that they did not fail.

* * *

Retsu had to resist the urge to cover her mouth and laugh, but she couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips as she watched the nervous young woman in front of her. The girl's worried words petered off when she saw the smile, and Retsu took the time to ask a few questions to clarify. She'd been a little surprised and concerned when she'd heard that Amaya wished to speak with her, but now felt reassured. 

"So, you think you're hearing voices?"

"Yes, taichou." Amaya replied, looking anxiously toward the tatami mats on which they sat.

Unohana leaned forward, placing a soothing hand on the girl's own, and asked, "Now tell me, do the voices sound familiar? Do they give you a sense of déjà vu?"

The young woman paused as she opened her mouth to reply, eyes going hazy as she thought back. Her head began to nod, even before she said, "Yes… it- _he_ does seem familiar…"

Settling back on her heels once again, Retsu felt a sense of pride and satisfaction for the young woman. "What is happening is nothing serious." Seeing Amaya focus back on her, she smiled reassuringly. "Your bond with your zanpakuto is most likely maturing. What you are hearing is the voice of your zanpakuto speaking to you, and the more you listen, the sooner you'll be able to learn its name."

Amaya's mouth opened and closed in disbelief, before replying, "But it's too early! I mean, I only graduated a few years ago… I don't have the power-"

Unohana held up her hand, causing the young woman to fall silent. "The ability to unlock one's zanpakuto is not reliant on power alone, Amaya-chan. It requires a certain sense of self-awareness, that even some of the most powerful shinigami don't have; just look at Zaraki-taichou."

"Are you sure it's not just a complication from what happened, taichou?" The girl sounded like she almost would have preferred it that way, but Retsu knew that it was just surprise.

"Yes, I'm sure, Amaya-chan." She gave a confident smile, watching the younger shinigami try to take it all in. "Perhaps," she began, "you should take some time off. Go and visit your grandmother in the Rukongai, take some time to relax and digest everything that has happened, hm?"

"Uh, yes, you're probably right, taichou." Amaya conceded, looking at the floor once more- this time her expression was a bit more dazed.

"Well, then, you have the next week to spend with your grandmother. I'll arrange for passes through the gate, while you should go and pack." Unohana stated, standing from where she had been kneeling.

"Yes, thank you, taichou." Was the reply as she left.

* * *

The room he sat in was dark and empty aside from him. 

He hadn't heard any news since he'd felt the connection break- not that it mattered anymore, he had no need for it. In fact, it would be rather interesting to see what would happen now.

Perhaps, he would finally let _them_ out to play…

A smirk spread across his face.

* * *

_Cold. It was so _cold_. He shivered, curling tighter into a ball and resisted the urge to change as the memories nagged at the back of his mind._

_The sound of booted feet on the floor announced the passing of a group of people._

_'_Is it that time already?_' He asked himself._

_Muted whispers began to be heard, and he ignored them- at least, until a sudden loud call caused him to jump._

_"Sir! Minister, sir!" The sound of running feet could be heard._

_"What is it?" Fudge sounded terse, stressed from his annual duty of touring the worst prison on the face of the earth- Azkaban._

_"Bad news, sir! Something terrible has happened!"_

_'Well, what is it?" Panic tinged his tone._

_'_Just what is going on?_'_

_"Sir, it's- it's Iris Potter. She's dead."_

_Inside his cell, Sirius Black felt as if he'd been hit with a heart-splitting curse as his whole world came tumbling down around him._

* * *

Severus Snape watched apathetically as a fellow Death Eater was punished for one failure or another. Ever since the death of the little Potter brat, he hadn't really felt anything anymore. 

He'd went to the funeral, which had been organized by Dumbledore, seeing that if the Minister had been the one to arrange it, there would have been mass publicity. When he saw the small child in the casket, eyes closed, skin unbelievably pale, not a single breath stirring her chest, he'd realized he had failed. He had failed to protect the one thing that the one person he had loved had died for, and he felt shame once more.

He only had one purpose anymore, and that was to see to the fall of his so-called 'master.' It was what _She_ would have wanted.

"Severus!"

The call of his name snapped him out of his reverie, and he held his chin up as he strode forward; years of practice enabling him to hide the loathing he felt as he knelt and kissed the hem of the man's robes. "Yes, my Lord?"

"What news do you have for me?"

Closing his eyes, he thought of the words he had been instructed to say, and told the man everything.

* * *

Amaya smiled as the small carriage pulled up in front of the house. She felt something in her relax when the screen door slid open, revealing the aged features of her grandmother- she was still here. 

"Amaya-chan!" the elderly woman exclaimed.

The young woman clambered out of the carriage, moving quickly to huge the old woman. "Obaachan."

"What are you doing here, young lady?" An amused voice asked from behind her, and she turned to smile at her grandmother's neighbor.

"Ohayo, Meiyo-san."

The older man opened his mouth to greet her in reply, but was cut-off when Chishiki broke in, "Move on, move on. Let's not make a spectacle of ourselves!" And ushered them quickly into the house, Meiyo quickly grabbing her bags from the back of the carriage. It was only then that she realized that the other people had been staring at her.

Once everything was settled into her old room, the three of them sat at the table in the kitchen with some tea. It was then that the interrogation continued.

"So, to what do I owe this lovely visit from my beloved granddaughter?" Chishiki asked as she lit her pipe once more.

"Am I not allowed to visit anymore, obaachan?" Amaya asked in an amused voice.

The old woman waved her hand dismissively. "After you became a shinigami, I haven't been able to see you as much as I'd like."

Meiyo chuckled, then both gave her a pointed look and she sighed.

"Well…" she began, avoiding their direct stares. "I was in the hospital for a short time, recently, and I guess the stress of worrying over what happened and other things has just frazzled my nerves. So, Taichou recommended that I come home to relax."

"What happened?" Meiyo asked, slight concern in his voice.

The young woman shrugged, gazing into her tea as she replied, "I don't know. _We_ don't know."

"What were those other things that happened, then?"

At this, they were surprised to see a small, strange smile appear on her face; it looked to be a mixture of pleased, bemused, and apprehensive… maybe even a touch smug.

"Taichou says that my bond with my zanpakuto is maturing." She looked up at them with excited eyes. "If I listen, hopefully I'll be able to release it soon!"

"Really?" Meiyo asked, amazed.

"Yes!" Joy spread across her face as she looked at them. "I was so surprised when she told me! I just didn't think it could be true, but now that I've thought about it more, it's like I can feel something there in the back of my mind." Her exuberance dimmed slightly as she bit her lip. "I just hope that I'm able to release it soon. I can't wait to find out what kind of powers it has."

"Well, that's good news, Amaya-chan," Chishiki said, puffing on her pipe. When she was sure the young woman wasn't looking, she gave the man beside her a pointed glance, only to feel disappointment when he ignored it.

"So, how long are you going to be here, Amaya-chan?" Meiyo asked instead.

"Taichou gave me the week off to stay here." Was the reply.

"Is that so?" the old woman murmured. "That's good, you can help me clean out the chicken coop."

"Chishiki-obaasan! Don't you think that the poor girl needs a break?"

"And you!" The elderly woman pointed at the man who just spoke, "You can help us by fixing the broken tiles on the roof!"

The two younger spirits looked at each other and groaned.

* * *

_A/N: One last note, neither Meiyo or Chishiki are OCs. Okay?_


End file.
